This collection presents a selection of the best and most popular works by British composers, beginning with two towering geniuses of the Baroque era: Handel and Purcell, and coming up to brilliantly successful writers of today such as Michael Nyman and Karl Jenkins. A number of the works are linked to British Royalty like Handel’s Zadok the Priest written for the coronation of King George II and Walton’s 1937 Coronation March: Crown Imperial. The idyllic character of the British countryside is pictured in works like The Banks of Green Willow by Butterworth and On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring by Delius, while marches like The Dambusters and Colonel Bogey evoke strong feelings of British patriotism. The programme concludes with four pieces traditionally performed at the Last Night of the Proms, finishing with Elgar’s stirring anthem: Land of Hope and Glory.

Audio sample & Tracklisting

Disc 1

01

Sinfonia: The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba: Solomon, HWV 67 - Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields/Ian Watson/Sir